1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an intake manifold and alternator combination for an internal combustion engine which includes not only passages for intake charge moving to the engine's cylinders and also to an integral provision for mounting an engine-driven alternator into the manifold so as to permit liquid cooling of the alternator.
2. Disclosure Information
Belt-driven alternators are commonly used for the purpose of providing electrical energy for operating the many electrically operated devices found in automobiles and other motor vehicles. The most common type of alternator found today is of the air cooled variety, which is mounted by means of bracketry to the front of the engine to permit driving of the alternator by a flexible belt powered by the crankshaft of the engine.
Air cooled alternators frequently produce undesirable noise which rises from the cooling fan incorporated in the alternator itself. Because of the large amounts of current generated by alternators, it is frequently necessary to incorporate aggressive cooling fans in air-cooled units, and such fans often produce an undesirable whine or other high frequency noise. An alternator and manifold according to the present invention will eliminate this noise problem by the use of liquid cooling, thereby obviating the need for a fan arrangement.
The use of liquid cooling provisions for rotating electrical machinery is not new. U.S. Pat. No. 2,571,872 to Hayes discloses an electric motor frame having a coolant system incorporated therein. The use of engine coolant to disperse heat from a vehicle mounted alternator is shown in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,660 to Palazzetti, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,283 to Kitamura et al. disclose examples of liquid cooling for generators or alternators. In the context of this specification, the term "alternator" is used generically according to common usage to mean either a conventional alternating current rectified rotating machine, or a conventional DC rotating machine, commonly known as a "generator", or other types of rotating machines used for the purpose of producing electrical power from mechanical power input to the machine by the crankshaft or other moving part of the engine
U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,204 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,906, both to Kitamura et al., disclose liquid cooled alternators which are adapted to be mounted to a vehicle engine in a conventional manner; i.e., by means of external brackets. Such bracketry is undesirable because the flexure associated with the bracketry can cause noise and vibration problems, not to mention problems associated with durability and reliability and excessive drive belt wear.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,148 to Kitamura discloses a partially water cooled alternator for a vehicle in which the rear part of the alternator has cooling passages running therethrough, with the front part of the alternator being fan-cooled.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,307 to Kitamura et al. discloses an internally driven block-mounted water cooled AC generator which is mounted to the exterior of an engine block. Unlike an alternator according to the present invention, which is mounted in an aperture or cavity within the intake manifold of an engine so as to take up relatively less space, the alternator disclosed in the '307 patent extends out from the engine a considerable distance and must be driven by a geared arrangement which limits flexibility as to the placement of the unit.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an intake manifold and alternator combination which will allow the alternator to be used without air cooling.
It is an advantage of the present invention that a liquid cooled alternator mounted in an intake manifold according to the present invention will be quiet during its operation and free from vibration due to the rigid mounting structure provided by the intake manifold.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that an alternator and manifold structure according to this invention will occupy less space than conventional manifold and alternator combinations which employ external bracketry for the purpose of mounting the alternator to the front of the engine.
It is yet a further advantage of the present invention that the water cooling of the present alternator may be accomplished without an excessive number of additional conduits or hoses for conducting coolant to and from the alternator.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention that the input sheave to the alternator may be precisely placed because of the manner in which the alternator is mounted to the manifold according to the present invention.
Other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to the reader of the specification.